What's Modern: Lots of White and Neutrals

Jen already talked about using lots of white in quilts but I wanted to explore that idea a little further. The use of neutrals seems very modern but it's actually very traditional. For example, Double Wedding Ring and Irish Chain quilts have historically been set on fields of white.

Pairing a color with a neutral (especially a contrasting neutral) will usually get great results. For instance, take a look at this beautiful orange and gray block from cutter007:

ready to quilt
Originally uploaded by cutter 007

Isn't it stunning? Every time I see it in my flickr favorites I'm stunned anew! Neutrals, even though usually in the background, have the power to propel a design to new heights.

Here are two more examples of gray in quilts.

And, of course, more white.

Lately I've really been into tan in quilts.

And we can't forget about black.

So, what do you think? Why are neutrals so "modern" now, even though they've been used in traditional quilting since the beginning? What's your favorite neutral to use in quilts?

So far I've only tried white. But I just got some nice Kona solids in tan and gray and I'm excited to give them a try.